The most memorable quotes in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, it's Link's turn to save Zelda and introduce new characters and familiar faces that many Zelda fans will instantly recognize. Despite its significantly smaller scope than Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, Echoes of Wisdom doesn't quite pull its narrative punches.

With Ganondorf eclipsed by a much greater threat, Zelda must become a priestess of wisdom with the help of potential allies who become iconic characters by the end of the game. They come up with pieces of dialogue that will be hard to forget.

10 “Okay? No need to stand there! Lock him in one go!”

– King of Hyrule?

After Ganondorf escapes and makes his way to Hyrule Castle, you witness for the first time that rifts are responsible for kidnappings and can create dark echoes of their victims. Unfortunately, this includes the king, his trusted advisers, and the general.

The Crooked King orders the guards to take Zelda to the dungeon, setting up the main protagonist's low point and the main conflict of the first act. It's a moment that leaves you wondering how you'll ever find any hope of restoring your father and your innocence.

9 “I guess I'll have to find another young man full of potential and money!”

– Great angel

One of the most iconic characters in almost every Zelda game, the Great Fairy is a fiery entrepreneur who can be both frustrating and fun to deal with. In Echoes of Wisdom, the Great Fairy shares styling tips that will upgrade your number of equipment slots for more than a handful of bucks.

Unless you plan to grind with Echo of the Crow for two thousand rupees, you won't be able to complete his quest in the final areas of the game. As both a way to notify you that you've completed her quest and a humorous feature moment, the Great Fairy is already thinking about her next victim.

The quest reward for the Great Fairy is the Might Bell, which can be used to locate nearby powerful crystals.

8 “Thank you.”

– Tri

With Nal defeated, Hyrule saved, and peace restored to the world, Tri returns with the other sprites to the goddesses who created them. Before trying, they talk to Zelda one last time before parting forever.

In a tearjerker of a scene, Tri finds the words to express gratitude for the first time in her life and gives the simple phrase of “thank you” more weight than any Hylian could produce. Not just your travel companion, Trai becomes a dear friend who will be missed.

7 “Give me . . .”

– Zero

With Prime Energy restored, Link saved, and Null defeated, the world is once again safe from Null's attempt to take it over. Null's dry body, however, still seeks out fragments of Prime Energy even though it is known to be defeated.

This last line of Null perfectly sums up its villain arc, that its life was perfect before the creation of the world, and its sole purpose is to restore the void. It almost makes Null sympathetic, as you can feel the frustration and anger in his words at being forced back into Null.

6 “Yes, this identification should suffice.”

– Zelda

Established early in the game, anyone who falls into a rift is at risk of having dark echoes created in their likeness, impersonating them to thwart your plans and expand the rifts. It is also established that Zelda is immune to these effects, and can travel through the rift without consequence.

At the top of Mount Hebra, you are shown to be outsmarted, as Null finds a way to create a dark echo of Zelda. Once the cheater starts talking, you realize the potential to use up key energy and undo all your hard work, adding to the already terrifying stakes.

Unfortunately, the impostor won't copy your current outfit, no matter how stylish the catsuit is.

5 “Father… Conde promises to do his best to give the mountain a good cleaning today.”

– Conde

Living alone in the mountains of Hebra, Conde takes his job clearing the snow very seriously, devoting his time to making sure the never-ending work continues. This is useful for Zelda, as Condé needs to clear the way forward and fix the rift that makes her job more difficult.

Exploring the life-size hut where Conde lives, you see evidence of his family in a child-like portrait that speaks of Conde's innocence and respect. After the storm clears, Conde arrives at his father's grave, and for the first time you realize how tragic his story is, and it's the biggest gut punch in the entire game.

4 “Wiiiiife! Can you hear me? I'm here!”

– Husband

Near the start of the game, you see cracks appear in Hyrule, sucking up innocent villagers. In one of these scenes, you see a couple break up when the woman who is chasing them cracks. It establishes the stakes of the story and how serious the situations are.

After you're free to explore Hyrule, you may find a villager still screaming for his wife through the cracks in the empty void. Although it's a sad piece of dialogue that shows his entire life uprooted in one moment, it's unintentionally funny that he chooses to shout “wife” instead of her name.

3 “Be creative with what you have!”

– Darston

Throughout the game we see Darstan quoting from the 56 nuggets of wisdom left to him by his late father, the previous chief of the Gorons. As the final boss at Eldin Volcano, Darston struggles to maintain his new responsibilities and relies on Slate to make any decisions.

To help Zelda finally help her people and open the way to close the rifts, Darsten destroys the slate, quoting the last nugget of wisdom and completing it simultaneously. It's a beautiful moment that shows Darston's growth in confidence, making him shine as a young leader outside of his father's shadow.

2 “You've grown so much. In fact, I think you're already capable of being a major.”

– Sira

Probably the first area you'll explore after being freed is the Gerudo Desert, where you'll meet the chief's daughter, Dohana. While you're still in your secret identity, Chief Seera doesn't call his guards and allow you to close the cracks despite his daughter's protests.

Fortunately, Dohna believes in you, supports you and vouches for you at every turn. From your point of view as Zelda, it gives you insight into Dohna's wisdom and establishes her as a proud leader, as Cera finally sees her development come full circle.

1 “Then we agree. And when you and I work together, we are a strong tide that lifts everyone!”

– Kushara

A major obstacle to closing the rift in the Zora's domain is the stubbornness between the two Zora leaders, Kushara and Dradd. Although their disagreements are minor, and their people are tired of it, their pride still gets in the way.

With your help, the two chiefs finally put aside their differences to help the endangered child, and you can breathe a sigh of relief that you're finally close to closing the rift. In another twist, it's also implied that their relationship is potentially romantic, which makes their new dynamic that much sweeter.

This is the first Zelda game where River Zora is a non-enemy.